. . . And the Draw of Any Part of Show Biz

When was the last time you saw a movie trailer that had a female voiceover? What about a political ad on TV or radio, or a major sporting event? If you answered never, you may have already been aware, dimly aware, or not at all aware, of how male-dominated the voiceover industry is. After seeing Lake Bell’s spirited indie romcom-on-a-mission, “In a World…,” you surely will be. The title is treated as an almost sacred three-word phrase virtually patented by the real-life legend of the industry, Don LaFontaine, whose voice introduced many a trailer. Bell, who wrote, directed, and stars in the movie, posits a world in which a woman may, or may not, be the next to utter the phrase. Carol (Bell) is a marginally employed vocal coach eking out an existence in the shadow, and the home, of her egomaniacal father, Sam (Fred Melamed), a reigning voiceover titan. After being finally kicked out of the house when her father takes up with a much younger, fawning girlfriend (Alexandra Holden), Carol moves in her with her sister, Dani (Michaela Watkins), and her husband, Moe (Rob Corddry), who are going through a marital rough patch. The svelte Carol (in real life, Bell recently posed nude on the cover of New York Magazine, covered only with fake tattoos) has her share of suitors: the smooth-toned voiceover artist Gustav (Ken Marino), and her geeky producer friend, Louis (Demetri Martin). What the former does not know at first is that Carol has just taken a voiceover gig from him after he came down with a cold. Carol’s increasing success sets up a three-way competition for the plum assignment, a voiceover to “The Amazon Games” trailer (a wink to the popular “Hunger Games”). Ostensibly, Bell’s mission, not just in the movie but in life, is to empower women, not only to break glass ceilings, but even more to drop their “girly” voices and take their rightful place as authoritative people. At its best, “In a World…” draws you in and makes you root for Carol. It is full of those quirky little character details that make indie films endearing. And occasionally frustrating. Befitting its subject, the movie has a great ear for interesting voices, sounds and ways of communicating (or not communicating). Bell assembles a cast of mainly TV actors, comedians, and actual voiceover artists who do good work here. Corddry and Martin, both “Daily Show” alumni, are delightfully offbeat. Bell’s performance is decidedly mixed. She can be refreshingly spontaneous, but resorts to mugging a great deal too often. For a movie with a strongly feminist agenda, “In a World…” strangely misfires in some of its portrayals of women. The subplot involving Dani and Moe feels like it was written on the back of a napkin and is less kind in its portrayal of Dani. Sam’s girlfriend is 95-percent bimbo. To an extent, Sam’s fatuousness (beautifully played by Melamed) and Gustav’s Don Juanism are counterweights in male foolishness. But Bell imbues these characters with a little more nuance and kindness than she grants the women. Despite these shortcomings, “In a World…” is a terrific triple-threat debut for Bell. “In a World…” is rated R for language including some sexual references. It is at The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY, and elsewhere in the region.